This offense and its identity crisis

[-X-]

Without Kendricks in the passing game v. Seattle the Rams might be sitting 0-3 right now. I think his warts are actually in blocking. This is a good example of Kendricks blocking (watch him on the far right of the line):

No push, no lockup, but above all else -- no desire. Just screens the guy by going thru the motions with little interest to go above and beyond what he's supposed to do, which allows his guy to get a piece of Pead who ultimately fumbles on the play.

Sadly this is typical of all Rams inline TE blocking. In the backfield/H-back, they are pretty good, but inline is simply bad. Harkey is the best of the bunch, but Cook even worse and Justice Cunningham being mentioned as a possibility is even more depressing as his preseason game tape has been even worse (he must pancake everyone in practice or something, I can't understand what they see in him).

Washington of all teams demonstrated how tight ends should actually block. Almost every highlight run was off tackle or broke to the outside. Jordan Reed and Mark Carrier -- a converted WR! -- consistently had JL, Ogletree, Barron, whoever, pushed back and locked up, sometimes 10, 15 yards downfield. Some of it was bad LB play, but mostly it was just lowly-regarded Washington TEs deciding to give 110% effort at blocking.

Carrier is the perfect foil to what the Rams have in their TEs blocking. Scout.com summed him up as, "As far as blocking, he shows the effort and 'want-to' but he has technique flaws that will need polishing."

The Rams TEs do not have the "effort and want-to" at blocking, it's as simple as that.

The reason is that's the part that can't be taught, and the Rams keep acquiring guys that don't have it. Kendricks is a weapon in the passing game and he is an effective screen blocker and H-back -- but look at a Jordan Reed who also catches the ball and actually wants to block and does it all for $595,000, not the $5.6 million of Kendricks or the zero blocking of the $8.3 million Cook.

I don't blame Cook or Kendricks -- they are what they are -- it comes down to exactly the identity thing. The Rams are missing the dominating blocking skill at TE, yet still claim to want to be a power identity running team. It makes no sense.

Even the lowly Redskins seem to get it. They got decimated by injuries in training camp, so when they were desperately trying to add any TE with a pulse over the offseason, they picked up Anthony McCoy -- a guy that hasn't played since 2012. Why? “Mainly we’re looking for him in the core, blocking for the running game,” Gruden said. “It looked like he was very good at that."

Compare that to Fisher who has had many years to get any warm body to fill that role, but instead keeps wanting TE hybrid or "Swiss army knife" types. Gruden refers to a run blocking TE as "the core", does Fisher? The Redskins don't have great blocking TEs yet, but they probably eventually will since that's their identity and they are looking for it. I don't know what the Rams will eventually get for TE blocking, they don't seem to value it.

What exactly is the Rams' "core"? I think that's what we're talking about when we talk about identity.

Appreciate the work you put into that, but I don't think it's necessarily a fair representation of what Kendricks is all about. Especially when Thomas has inside shade and Kendricks can't maintain his block due to Havenstein cut-blocking right in front of him. Didn't look like Kendricks was suppose to drive on that one. But, it is one play where he failed to completely follow through with his responsibility regardless of what happens around him - which I think is part of the big picture about team-wide execution. He really is a very good blocker (moreso as a move TE than inline), and ranked pretty high in run blocking his first couple of years. Maybe Harkey can offer more, but I wouldn't bank on it. I would, however, like to see he and Harkey in some 12 personnel plays designed to get them involved in traps and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD to block the backside on some of these plays Cignetti is drawing up.

 

[CodeMonkey]

I will say this though. It seems like we annually have an identity crisis long around week 4. The quote about having a plan until you get punched in the mouth comes to mind.

 

[Rams43]

Here is my Readers Digest review...

D held the mighty Steelers to 12 points. They sure as hell did their job.

ST have generally played well all 3 games with the exception of that Lockett PR for the TD.

So it seems that we are at least okay in those two phases of the game. Can I get an amen on that much?

But the O is looking like a fubar, huh?

Ineffective OL is crippling both the running and passing game. Until they get up to NFL speed, our O problems will continue.

The drops killed us today. Despite all our other problems, we win this game without the drops.

The End.

 

[jrry32]

Our identity should be whatever is working. But we need to cut this zone blocking out. Go back to power blocking and mix in zone on occasion. We've run way too much zone this year and it's failing miserably. Let's run over people.

Without Kendricks in the passing game v. Seattle the Rams might be sitting 0-3 right now. I think his warts are actually in blocking. This is a good example of Kendricks blocking (watch him on the far right of the line):

No push, no lockup, but above all else -- no desire. Just screens the guy by going thru the motions with little interest to go above and beyond what he's supposed to do, which allows his guy to get a piece of Pead who ultimately fumbles on the play.

Can't disagree more with your analysis on this play.

Kendricks's only real sin here is failing to get across the defender's face so he could seal him off from the play. Beyond that, he did his job. He couldn't stay engaged because Havenstein and the defender were on the ground. That would have caused Kendricks to trip over them and drag the defender down with him which means obvious holding call. He has to let the defender go. But as soon as he lets the defender go, he immediately looks for a guy to hit.

There was no lack of desire and the blocking there wasn't poor. It wasn't great because he didn't get his face across and seal him but it wasn't poor either. Nothing wrong with it.

 

[SuperMan28]

Honestly, I think we just missed our opportunities. We have our identity and it's a winning formula. I just don't think we executed. Kendricks two drops killed two scoring drives. Robinson had a hold on a nice run by Mason at mid field. You can't have that. That's just off the top of my head, too.,

 

[raised_fisT]

Run on 1st down NO MATTER WHAT, get negative yardage and commit silly penalties--- is the identity thru 3 weeks.

1st and goal at the 7--- turns into a 3rd and goal at the 19. Then they go with a Nick Foles scramble and end up with 3 points. AT HOME. Absolute garbage. College teams would have scored there.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I know, I sound like a broken record. But this offense and its continued poor production is something I see as linked to a crisis of identity that has gone on for some time with Fisher's regime.

Now for starters in today's loss to the Steelers they ran the ball 18 times and passed it 29 times. That in and of itself is not such a big deal, as sometimes games dictate you do different things. But the problem with the Rams is the dictating is never them when it comes to their offense. It is always adjusting to what the defense is giving, not getting all crazy and driving their reactions to the matchups the Rams are getting.

It begins with personnel too. Kendricks had a horrible game, and Cook wasn't much better. Cook in particular continues to do what he's always done: block like crap to include bonehead mistakes like the penalty, and then drop key passes. He and his contract are the poster children for how this regime's contracts and drafting don't match their professed expertise and are a big part of the sustained reason they cannot find consistency game to game. I mean, Fish wants a strong running game and play action off of it and Cook is simply not a fit due to his pansy blocking nor is he good enough to be a consistent weapon outside. Kendricks for all his warts in the passing game is at least a fit because he can actually block, which is what he should be doing in boosting the run game and helping GRob with rushers vice having the same number of targets as Tavon (5).

Ah yes good old Tavon Austin. The dude should be in a wide open offense where he can showcase his speed against a spread out defense. What the Rams do simply does not suit him. Schotty was not creative enough to consistently utilize his talent and I say that knowing full well that the guy was a disaster running routes early on. Cigs is struggling in that regard as well, even though Tavon does do some good things week to week now. As I've said before they should have 5 or so Tavon-specific misdirectional plays where they get him the ball like week one in movement towards open field. Doesn't always need to be from the backfield either.

Then you have Gurley. The dude is supremely gifted. Fish said he has zero problems knowing the offense. He fits perfectly what Fish has professed to want from his offense and what Cigs has professed to want from his offense. We can just see the stars aligning before this game, where maybe the pieces start to fit a little right? Wrong. The dude gets 6 rushes. And the defense keyed on him so hard that it demonstrates he should be in there as a decoy for springing Tavon if nothing else.

We all know that offense is about matchups and forcing the defense to do what you want them to do. Cigs is at a crossroads in my estimation, where he needs to decide what this offense's identity is and then adjust his personnel accordingly. If it's a power offense with play action (which I presume is the answer due to Fisher and Cigs' press conferences), then sit Cook's overpaid @$$ and line up with two TEs with Kendricks and Harkey blowin dudes off the LOS in run plays. Then use said TEs to chip on RDEs to help GRob out and feed defenses a steady diet of Gurley in the run game and short patterns periodically and watch him blow up LBs.

That type of adjustment would likely boost the running game this team and QB desperately needs, while also opening up play action deep routes for guys like Tavon and Givens who are faster than just about every DB they line up on if you actually let them run them.

Good post Merlin, except for some stuff in the Gurley paragraph. He got six touches because he hasn't played football in 10 months. That was just big picture game planning.

As a former J.Cook supporter i'm also down on him big time. He's just not a gamer...at all.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Here is my Readers Digest review...

D held the mighty Steelers to 12 points. They sure as hell did their job.

ST have generally played well all 3 games with the exception of that Lockett PR for the TD.

So it seems that we are at least okay in those two phases of the game. Can I get an amen on that much?

But the O is looking like a fubar, huh?

Ineffective OL is crippling both the running and passing game. Until they get up to NFL speed, our O problems will continue.

The drops killed us today. Despite all our other problems, we win this game without the drops.

The End.

This is it really. Saved me from recapping where this team is at. Only thing i would add is that we can't only blame drops on the awful 3rd down %.
4 for 22 in two weeks is legendarily bad execution and at times bad playcalling in terms of the flow of the game.

 

[Athos]

The Steelers scored only 12 points. At least one phase is doing ok. We should have won that game.

Yea, but our offense is playing at Mizzous level and that's sad news bears.

What fisher has done is draft offensive guys that match up with offenses like the Lions, Saints, Packers, etc, abandoned that style of offense, and gone back to the power scheme with players that don't fit in it and then drafting supposed run blocking monsters that are dreadful at it.

The man knows shit about offense and it shows when our personnel don't fit either mold right now.
That's on him.

Kendricks is a mediocre blocker not fit for power schemes. Not big enough. Cook is a lazy, pansy ass tool I'm getting sick off. Is his body an illusion? Because he can't block guys he's got 30 or more pounds on.

 

[551staaa]

Just looking at the forest and not the trees, I find myself puzzled week after week with deciphering exactly what the Rams are trying to establish on offense. I have watched this game for 45 years now, and 90% of the time you can watch a team and say "This is who this team is or wants to be". I'm not seeing it with this team and this offense. There's a lot of misdirection and play faking, but to what end? Deception only takes you so far. Eventually, you have to line up and impose your will. I haven't seen anything that would suggest that this team is capable of doing this on offense. At least not with the personnel they have. There's a lot of truth to the idea expressed in this thread that you have to adjust what you do to the people you have to do it.

Yeah, Cook drives me crazy week after week (yesterday included) with seeming to give up to early on passes. If it isn't right on him, he makes no effort to get to it. There is no separation by the receivers down field. I could go on, but it's just a rehash of the things that have already been said dozens of times before. The prior posts about lack of identity are right on point. I believe that we have a large enough data base at this point to maybe look at the people who are in charge of preparing the players on the field. All too often, I get the impression that the players feel like a kid who studies the wrong subject matter for a test. They know the answers, but not to these questions.

To me, it comes down to coaching and game planning. I'll give Williams credit for yesterday. He had a good plan against a powerful Pittsburgh offense and his players executed. On offense, what was the game plan? It's as if the coaches have a roulette wheel with random plays and they spin it and run whatever comes up. And when it doesn't work, well, now we're screwed. It's obvious that whatever the coaches want to do has to be tweaked because it isn't working with the people they have on the field. Different personnel groupings? Different emphasis? Combination of both? Anything?

Just my two cents.

 

[dhaab]

With Gurley, they're playing for next year. I think Jim Thomas is totally on point when he mentions that Fisher is safe and it's really all about next year. If it was win or your out, I'm sure they would have worked him harder and be pushing harder for Quick to be back.

It could be argued that the Rams have been playing for next year every single season Fisher has been the head coach.

 

[dhaab]

To me, it comes down to coaching and game planning. I'll give Williams credit for yesterday. He had a good plan against a powerful Pittsburgh offense and his players executed. On offense, what was the game plan? It's as if the coaches have a roulette wheel with random plays and they spin it and run whatever comes up. And when it doesn't work, well, now we're screwed. It's obvious that whatever the coaches want to do has to be tweaked because it isn't working with the people they have on the field.

This sums it up perfectly. Well done.

 

[Schmitzer]

I think the identity crisis IS the head coach. Fisher sees himself as one who can draft OL lower in the draft and coach them up. I don't think he can.

I totally agree you can win with this defense and you can win being a run first team. I just think it starts by spending draft picks and free agent $ on the offensive line (see the Cowboys).

 

[MrMotes]

We have the same offensive identity we've had for 9 years running now: bad.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Question; How in the world can a, Basically, All new O-Line be expected to have an Identity 3 Games into the Season!? I don't think it's possible!

We don't need an identity. Identities put you in a box. We need versatility with talent.

I'll go with RamzFanz on this^!!

 

[RamBill]

BenFred's Rams Rewind: Run-first Rams can't run
• By Ben Frederickson

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_488baaca-6693-5d7d-a028-90a59dace66d.html

Jeff Fisher and Frank Cignetti have a problem.

The Rams coach and his new offensive coordinator stress the importance of running the football, but here we are three games into the season, and a charred patch of turf is the only part of the Rams' ground game that has been on fire.

The run-first Rams can't run.

Cignetti's comments after his February promotion from quarterbacks coach are worth revisiting after the Rams (1-2) mustered 71 rushing yards in Sunday's 12-6 loss to Pittsburgh.

"You have a base identity as a play-caller," Cignetti said at the time. "I believe in running the football. You run the ball to win. The quarterback's best friend is running the football."

Nick Foles is lonelier than the stinky kid at school.

"We have talented running backs," Foles said. "Our O-line’s doing a great job week-to-week of just working hard together and grinding. Once we get the run game going better, it’s going to really open up a lot of things. That’s part of it. We’ll come in to work tomorrow. We’ll be ready to go."

That's optimistic.

Talented running back Todd Gurley totaled nine yards on six carries in his NFL debut. Those who hoped the former Georgia star would be an instant cure for the ground woes received a reality check. Turns out an offensive line that struggles to maintain blocks and reach the second level can make a top-ten draft pick look like, well, every other Rams running back.

Tre Mason, who missed week one, took his first touch seven yards, then gained nine more rushing yards on the eight carries that followed. A longer run late in the third quarter was negated by Greg Robinson holding penalty. You could criticize Mason for dancing in the backfield instead of hitting the hole, but that would suggest there's a hole for him to hit.

Wide receiver Chris Givens had the Rams' longest run (24 yards) against the Steelers, followed by third-string back Benny Cunningham (12) then Foles (10).

I know the Rams consider short passes to backs to be an extension of the run, but I don't know if they planned on Mason, Gurley and Cunningham combining for more receiving yards (146) than rushing yards (101).

As former Ram Zac Stacy would say ... #Yikes.

The Rams, along with three other teams, average 3.8 yards per rush. Mediocre at best. Worse when you add some context.

The Rams have totaled 214 rushing yards this season, an average of 71.3 per game. Only three teams have done less on the ground, and two (Green Bay and Kansas City) have done more through two games, not three.

The Rams haven't scored a rushing touchdown since two in their season-opening win against Seattle. One was supplied by Foles, the other by receiver Tavon Austin, who so far has been the team's most productive running back. Austin, who is averaging 7.1 yards per carry, didn't get a carry against the Steelers.

For a team that values the run so much, the Rams aren't running much.

Twenty-nine teams have more rushing attempts than the Rams (57). The Rams have the fewest amount of first downs (42) of any team with three games under its belt. Only 11 have come on the ground.

Some of the troubling numbers could be contributed to the fact the Rams have been dominated in the time-of-possession department. Their average time per drive (2:27) ranks 25th.

The Rams might spend more time with the football, and run more, if they could run more effectively on first and second downs. They average 4.4 rushing yards per attempt on first down, and just 1.4 yards per attempt on second down, when the team has averaged 9.3 yards to go. The Rams have 29 passing attempts on third and fourth downs compared to six runs.

These Rams are running less often than any of Fisher's St. Louis teams. They have rushed 57 times and thrown 87 times this season. That's 39.6 percent run. If that holds, it would be less than the Rams ran in 2014 (43.5 percent run), 2013 (45.8) and 2012 (42.6).

Maybe Foles is right. Maybe the offensive line will get better. Maybe Gurley, or one of his teammates, will succeed in spite of some suspect blocking.

But it's a big concern the so-called cornerstone of the offense looks so weak three weeks in.

Other Observations:

Is it too much to ask for some consistency from a tight end? Jared Cook was off the grid again after his great game against Seattle, and Lance Kendricks dropped at least two catchable balls, one of which might have turned into a third-quarter touchdown.
Johnny Hekker's career passing percentage dropped to 71.4 percent (five of seven) after he couldn't quite get the fake punt pass to Stedman Bailey. It's a shame, because it was open. I'm not sure how opponents keep forgetting Hekker has an arm.

Alec Ogletree's sack of Steelers quarterback Ben Roeithlisberger was really impressive. He bull-rushed through 6-foot-3, 303-pound Kelvin Beachum, then threw down one of the largest quarterbacks in the league like a rag doll. Ogletree is turning into something special before our eyes.
Steelers backup quarterback Michael Vick ran twice for a loss of two. Times have changed.

 

[V3]

Ah yes good old Tavon Austin. The dude should be in a wide open offense where he can showcase his speed against a spread out defense.

I'm still not sure Tavon could thrive in any type of offense that requires route running because the Rams still refuse to have him run any type of intermediate or long routes. All we see is him acting like a RB, taking bubble screens, or other extremely short routes. Is that because of Cigs or Tavon?

 

[-X-]

I'm still not sure Tavon could thrive in any type of offense that requires route running because the Rams still refuse to have him run any type of intermediate or long routes. All we see is him acting like a RB, taking bubble screens, or other extremely short routes. Is that because of Cigs or Tavon?

He's run deep routes under both coordinators. These offenses, I think, are designed to feature ... nobody.
Spread the ball around to whoever presents the first reasonable looking matchup problem depending on the pre-snap read.
If that disappears after the snap, hit the outlet guy.

 

[V3]

He's run deep routes under both coordinators. These offenses, I think, are designed to feature ... nobody.
Spread the ball around to whoever presents the first reasonable looking matchup problem depending on the pre-snap read.
If that disappears after the snap, hit the outlet guy.

I've seen him run them but it's very rare. My point is why is it so rare? Why not do it more? Even if it's an intermediate route and not just a Go. Is it because they don't trust him on those types of routes? They have the other WRs run them more often. I want to see them switch that up. Defenses are starting to guess that Tavon is going to be used for short stuff which brings the D in.

 

[-X-]

've seen him run them but it's very rare. My point is why is it so rare? Why not do it more?

Dunno. Why wasn't Dante Hall a great deep threat at receiver? Maybe when he lines up outside, defenses account for that. Maybe I've seen him run deep flag routes out of the slot, but Foles got pressured or sacked before the route was half-way in. Or maybe the offense really isn't designed around anyone in particular. Maybe throwing to a 5'8" receiver is difficult to do when they're rolling coverage. Maybe the back-shoulder fade is even harder with a receiver of that stature. Maybe he has cooties.

Lots to ponder there, yeah?